GEOL 4110 Advanced Earth Science for Teachers
Cu-Ni Debate April 18, 2008
ISSUE: Should Cu-Ni-PGE sulfide mining be allowed in the Hoyt Lakes/Babbitt area of Minnesota?
Teams/Perspectives
1. Polymet Mining Company _______________ _______________ _______________
2. Environmental Groups _______________ _______________ _______________
3. Citizens of Hoyt Lakes and Babbitt _______________ _______________ _______________
4. Cabin owners on Birch Lake _______________ _______________ _______________
Judges: _______________ _______________ _______________
Debate Structure
Opening Remarks
There will be an opening statement made by your team prepared in advance. This should be 3-5 minutes
long and should state your team's position and the arguments/solutions you will be proposing.
Question and Answer
Each team will take turns posing a question to one of the other teams
Each team should have at least 9 questions (3 for each team member) prepared that can be asked of your
team to another specific team. These should be on separate sheets of paper or on notecards for easy
reference. You will have 10 minutes after opening remarks to modify any of your questions. The
questions should be concise and clear.
You should have answers prepared which will be used to respond to possible opponents questions.
Imagine that you are from the other teams and determine what questions may be asked of your team.
Answers are limited to 3 minutes
Final Argument/Statement
At the close of the question and answer period, your team will have 10 minutes to draft a final concluding
statement. This should be no longer than 7 minutes. You should take notes during the entire debate so
that you may refer to these in your final presentation of your team's views.
Judging
The debate will be scored on the following criteria (a grading rubric for judging will be developed soon):
- showed a solid background regarding all material
- had plenty of evidence to back up claims
- used teamwork to teach all in group the important concepts behind specific positions
- was creative and convincing in arguments
The teams will be scored by the judges and points assigned as follows:
1st Place – 15 points
2nd Place - 13 points
3rd Place – 12 points
4th Place – 10 points
Judges may receive up to 15 points based on their written assessments.
Informational Resources:
Proponents
Mining Minnesota (Advocacy group for Cu-Ni mining ) - www.miningminnesota.com/
Polymet Mining Company Website - www.miningminnesota.com/
Duluth Metals Ltd (another company looking to develop Duluth Complex Cu-Ni deposits) website www.duluthmetals.com
Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada - E3 (Environmental Excellence in Exploration) www.e3mining.com/index.cfm?PID=11658&PIDLIST=11658
Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada - CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility in Mining)
www.pdac.ca/pdac/advocacy/csr/index.html#Overview_of_CSR
Environmental Groups
Sierra Club (Mining without Harm) - northstar.sierraclub.org/campaigns/mining/index.html
Friends of the Boundary Waters - www.friends-bwca.org/programs/mining.html
Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy - www.mncenter.org/mcea_wildlife_and_natural/
Minnesota Environmental Partnership - www.mepartnership.org/mep_whatsnew.asp?new_id=2447
Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness - www.nmw.org/
Northwoods Wilderness Recovery http://www.northwoodswild.org/newspro/viewnews.cgi?id=EEZVVFyVFppLacEJJo
State and Local View
Iron Range Resources (a regional economic development agency for the iron range)
www.ironrangeresources.org/
Governor’s Report Minnesota’s Mining Future (on IRR website)
www.ironrangeresources.org/business/mining/mining-future
City of Babbitt www.babbitt-mn.com/
City of Hoyt Lakes www.hoytlakes.com/
City of Aurora www.ci.aurora.mn.us/
Other Sources:
Minnesota Public Radio report
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/05/15/rangesulfidemining/